Local runners are on top of the world as they conquer Lurig Mountain Challenge

LAST weekend a team of six runners from Crumlin’s Run-Anon took on one of their biggest challenges to date – The Lurig Challenge Run.

The warm August sunshine added to the atmosphere and the challenge, as the six scaled the famous Lurigethan Mountain in Cushendall.

The Lurig Mountain Challenge, which has been running now for over thirty years during the Heart of The Glens Festival, has become a much sought after feature in the local race calendar, with all four hundred places being snapped up in under twenty minutes.

The Crumlin crew were led by Run-Anon Coach Aidan O’Neill, who had always wanted to complete the Lurig Challenge Run, but had never been able to get an entry.

Fellow Coach Shauna Gibson got a last minute entry on the Saturday morning, and armed with some freshly purchased trail shoes, didn’t let the Lurig Challenge beat her!

The Junction manager Chris Flynn, who took up running almost two years ago, described the Lurig Challenge as his biggest feat to date.

He said: “At times you were crawling along on your hands and knees like a mountain goat.

“It was really tough, but the support from locals and club family members who had travelled down to cheer us on was hugely motivational.

“The cheers from supporters when the runners arrived back in to the centre of Cushendall was fantastic.

“At the finish line lots of the runners said that the Lurig was definitely a ‘One and Done’ kind of event, but after about ten minutes plans were already being made for how they could get an entry ticket for next year!”

Crumlin Club Run-Anon, which celebrated it’s tenth birthday earlier this year trains at Crumlin Leisure Centre on Monday and Thursday nights.